Jewelry armoire

ABSTRACT

An armoire includes a cylindrical cabinet which has a truncated portion. An oval mirror is slideably mounted on the truncated portion of the cabinet. The plane of the oval mirror is inclined relative to the vertical thereby enabling a user to view his or her entire stature in a convenient manner. The mirror can be easily opened to reveal items stored on shelves which are mounted in the cabinet. The armoire includes an adjustable mirror, a folding table, and a set of rotatably mounted storage drawers all of which are mounted in the cabinet.

This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/563,591, filed Apr. 19, 2004, entitled “Jewelry Armoire.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of furniture and more particularly, to a jewelry armoire which incorporates an inclined mirror.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art includes numerous examples of cabinets and armoires for the storage of various items. These units are typically box-like rectangular units some of which include mirrors which are mounted on a door. The prior art units are typically characterized by their bulky appearance and the mirrors are generally vertically oriented. This vertical orientation of the mirror results in a need to have a mirror of large size in order for a viewer to see his or her entire stature. This requirement in turn contributes to the overall bulk and relative high cost of the prior art units.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a jewelry armoire which incorporates a mirror which is inclined relative to the vertical.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry armoire which incorporates a sliding mirror.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry armoire which includes a folding table.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry armoire which incorporates an adjustable mirror.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry armoire which incorporates a cylindrical cabinet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry armoire with a plurality of rotatably mounted storage drawers.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry armoire which comprises a relatively small number of component parts which can be manufactured economically resulting in a relatively lower overall cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent hereinafter.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a jewelry armoire which includes a cylindrical cabinet having a truncated portion and a base portion. An oval mirror is mounted on slides which are attached to the truncated portion of the cylindrical cabinet. The slides enable a user to slide the mirror to an open position to reveal the items which are stored on shelves which are mounted in the cabinet or slide the mirror to a closed position in which the contents of the cabinet are hidden. The plane of the mirror is inclined with respect to the vertical and this inclination enables a user to view his or her entire stature in a convenient manner.

The cabinet includes an adjustable mirror which is mounted on a first shelf and a folding table assembly which is mounted on a second shelf. The cabinet also includes a plurality of drawers which are rotatably mounted on the base portion of the cabinet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other important advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a jewelry armoire with hidden storage compartments made according to the present invention with the apparatus according to the invention shown in the closed position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view similar to FIG. 1 showing the apparatus in the open position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showing the rotating drawers in the closed position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2 showing the rotating drawer assembly removed from the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front elevation view showing the folding shelf in the closed position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation view showing the folding shelf in the closed position;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation view showing the panels of the folding shelf partially unfolded;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the folding shelf in the open position;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary front elevation view showing the circular pivoting mirror;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view showing the circular pivoting mirror of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary top plan view taken along the line 13-13 of FIG. 8 showing the lipstick tray; and

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 14-14 of FIG. 13 showing a typical aperture in the lipstick tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-3 a jewelry armoire 10 which includes a generally cylindrical cabinet 12, an upper shelf 14 which supports an adjustable mirror 16, an intermediate shelf 18 which supports a folding shelf or folding table assembly 20 and a lower shelf 22 which supports a plurality of rotatably mounted storage drawers 24. An oval mirror 26 which forms a key feature of the present invention is mounted on slides 27, 28 which in turn are mounted on the upper shelf 14 and the lower shelf 22, respectively.

The slides 27, 28 enable a user to move the mirror 26 in the directions shown by the arrows 30, 32 in FIG. 2 from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 to the open position shown in FIG. 2.

As is best shown in FIG. 3, the plane 34 which is defined by the mirror 26 is inclined relative to the vertical and the cylindrical cabinet 12 is truncated to mark the angle of inclination 36 of the mirror 26. As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mirror 26 is oval in configuration and the resulting opening 38 in the wall 40 of the cylindrical cabinet 12 is also oval. The surface 42 of the mirror 26 includes a rectangular handle 44. As is shown in FIG. 3, the angle of inclination of the mirror 26 as defined by the letter A is in the preferred range of ten degrees to twenty degrees.

The angle of inclination of the mirror 26 has been selected to optimize the following parameters. The angle of inclination enables a user to stand relatively close to the mirror 26 within one or two feet and observe his or her entire stature. This relatively close distance to the mirror 26 facilitates careful inspection of a user's clothing and facial makeup. For a fixed distance between the user and the mirror 26, increasing the angle of inclination of the mirror 26 outside of the preferred range would decrease the portion of the user's body which can be observed in the mirror 26. Similarly decreasing the angle of inclination of the mirror 26 outside of the preferred range thus making the mirror 26 move nearly vertical also decreases the portion of the user's body which can be observed in the mirror 26. The oval shape of the mirror 26 optimizes the size and shape of the mirror 26 allowing the user's reflected image to fill the mirror 26 and allows the user to observe his or her image without unmeshed portions of the mirror 26. This optimization minimizes the weight of the mirror 26 and reduces the load imposed on the slides 27, 28 thereby promoting ease of operation.

As is shown in FIGS. 2, 11 and 12, the upper shelf 14 supports the adjustable circular mirror 16 which is mounted on two arms 48, 50. The angle formed by the arms and the surface 52 of the shelf and the angle formed by the arms 48, 50 and the surface 52 of the circular mirror 16 can be adjusted as shown by the arrows 54, 56, 58, 60 in FIG. 12 thereby allowing the position of the circular mirror to be adjusted to suit the convenience of the user.

The intermediate tray supports the folding shelf or folding table assembly 20 which is best shown in FIGS. 7-10. The folding table assembly 20 includes a pair of panels 60, 62 which include straight sides 64, 66, 68, 70 and rear edges 72, 74 and curved forward edges 76, 78. The two panels 60, 62 are generally equal in size. Adjacent side edges 66, 68 of panels 60, 62 are connected by hinges 80, 82 and the rear edge 74 of panel 62 is connected to the intermediate shelf 18 by hinges 84, 86.

The unfolded configuration of the table assembly 20 is shown in FIG. 10. The hinges 80, 82 allow the panel 60 to be folded to overlie the panel 62 as is shown in FIG. 9. When the panel 60 overlies the panel 62, the hinges 84, 86 allow the panels 60, 62 to be folded to a vertical position as is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In the folded configuration, the table assembly 20 fits conveniently within the envelope of the cylindrical cabinet 12 as is shown in FIG. 2.

As is shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, the intermediate shelf 18 includes a tray 88 with a plurality of apertures 90 for the convenient storage of lipstick containers or similar products.

FIGS. 2 and 6 show the plurality of storage drawers 34 which are rotatably mounted on a shaft 92 which extends between the lower shelf 22 and the bottom support plate 93. As is shown ion FIGS. 5 and 6, the front walls 94 of the drawers 24 is straight and the rear walls 96 of the drawers 24 are curved to generally conform to the curvature of the inner wall 98 of the cylindrical cabinet 12. Each of the drawers 24 may be rotated about the shaft 92 to reveal the contents stored therein. The drawers 24 include divided compartments 100, 102 as shown in FIG. 5.

The overall truncated shape of the cabinet 12 contributes to the overall stability of the cabinet 12 which is of prime importance since the cabinet 12 has a generally slender configuration. A slender cabinet of the same overall size as the cabinet 12 of the present invention of conventional construction would have a center of gravity which would be near the vertical midpoint of the cabinet. This relatively high center of gravity would tend to allow a conventional cabinet to easily tip and fall over. In accordance with the present invention, the cylindrical cabinet 12 is truncated such that the upper portion 104 of the cabinet 12 forms a narrow edge 106 and the lower portion 108 of the cabinet 12 is cylindrical. The upper portion 104 of the cabinet 12 is lighter than the lower portion 108. The configuration of the present invention results in a center of gravity which is relatively close to the cylindrical lower portion 108 of the cabinet 12 thereby resulting in a safe and stable configuration.

The various specific embodiments of the present invention are for illustrative purposes only. Various changes and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

1. A jewelry armoire comprising a hollow cylindrical cabinet having a truncated portion, a mirror with said mirror slideably mounted on said hollow cylindrical cabinet movably disposed to alternatively reveal and cover said truncated portion of said hollow cylindrical cabinet, and a first shelf mounted in said hollow cylindrical cabinet.
 2. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a base portion formed on said hollow cylindrical cabinet adjacent to said truncated portion.
 3. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a pair of slide members connecting said mirror and said hollow cylindrical cabinet.
 4. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mirror is oval.
 5. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an adjustable mirror mounted on said first shelf.
 6. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a second shelf mounted in said hollow cylindrical cabinet, a folding table with said folding table mounted on said second shelf.
 7. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 6 wherein said folding table comprises a first panel, a second panel, a first hinge connection with said first hinge connection connecting said first panel and said second panel, and a second hinge connection with said second hinge connection connecting said second panel and said second shelf.
 8. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a third shelf.
 9. The jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a shaft member with said shaft member vertically disposed and extending between said third shelf and said cylindrical buckle portion of said hollow cylindrical housing, and a plurality of drawers with said plurality of drawers rotatably mounted on said shaft.
 10. A jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 2 wherein said base portion is cylindrical.
 11. A jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mirror defining a plane and with said plane of said mirror inclined relative to the vertical.
 12. A jewelry armoire as claimed in claim 11 wherein said inclination of said plane of said mirror is in the preferred range of 10 degrees to 20 degrees. 